California’s Gig Economy Ballot Measure Fails Workers, Labor Groups Say
Labor advocacy groups say that a California ballot measure called the “Protect App-Based Drivers and Services Act” would do just the opposite.
Lyft and Uber are among companies backing a California ballot measure that would keep drivers as independent contractors.
Photographer: John Taggart/BloombergA California ballot measure supported by ride-hailing and delivery companies would lower workers’ wages and limit the power of legislators to institute new labor protections, according to a new report from two labor advocacy groups.
Proposition 22, known as the “Protect App-Based Drivers and Services Act,” will appear before California voters in November and is backed by $110 million from Uber, Lyft, Postmates, Instacart and Doordash. The companies say their workers want to preserve their status as independent contractors, while the National Employment Law Project and the Partnership for Working Families counter that the proposition would roll back existing protections under a state law giving certain gig workers full employment rights.